


all I need is a life in your shape (I picture it soft and I ache)

by aletterinthenameofsanity



Series: if this love is pain (then darling let's love tonight) [12]
Category: Druck | SKAM (Germany), SKAM (France), SKAM (Italy), SKAM (Norway), SKAM (Spain), WTFock | Skam (Belgium)
Genre: AND I HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE WHAT'S GOING DOWN IN FRANCE, Evaks in Antwerp, F/F, Fluff, Found Family, Friendship, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage Proposal, POV Isak, Right?, SKAM FRANCE IS BACK, SO HERE'S SOME EVAK GETTING ENGAGED TO CELEBRATE, SO IS DRUCK, WHICH IS SERIOUSLY GIVING ME OG VIBES, also discussion about how different Evaks have different found families, also i have mentioned in the past that I've completely fucked with the timelines here, and davenzi happened abt a year and a half later, and then rosander a year and a half after that, and this fic occurs like in May-ish after the events of WTFock, b/c basically evak crisana nicotino and elu all happened at the same time, but seriously the majority of this fic is just fluff, mentions of bio buds friendship and the boy squad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:06:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22096846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aletterinthenameofsanity/pseuds/aletterinthenameofsanity
Summary: And so tonight, right on time, Even enters the common room, flicking on the lights to find Isak there, on one knee, with a ring box held out in front of him and praying to a non-existent god that his hands wouldn't shake. "Even, the man of my dreams," he starts, but doesn't get any farther before Even's jaw drops and he starts talking, interrupting the beautiful speech that Isak had prepared with the help of all of Even's counterparts.“You’ve gotta be fucking with me,” comes out of Even’s mouth, belying the blinding smile on his face, and Isak’s not sure how to feel, especially when Even drops his bag on the ground and starts digging around in it, still not answering Isak’s question (and Isak knows that Even is going to say yes but fuck, this is not the way to do it), and digs out-“You’ve gotta be shitting me,” Isak says, mindlessly repeating Even’s words, and Even laughs as he holds out an open ring box that contains a small gold band that looks nearly exactly the same as the silver one that Isak just proposed with.(Even and Isak are both idiots in love, and when it comes time for 21:21 to hit the clock, they both seem to have similar plans.)
Relationships: Cristina "Cris" Soto Peña/Joana Bianchi Acosta, Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant, Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen, Matteo Florenzi/David (Druck), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Niccolò Fares/Martino Rametta, Sander Driesen/Robbe IJzermans
Series: if this love is pain (then darling let's love tonight) [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1550230
Comments: 7
Kudos: 113





	all I need is a life in your shape (I picture it soft and I ache)

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from "Strawberry Blond" by Mitski because, well, no duh. Even and Isak's golden locks are legendary, and the song is beautiful, and I love my kids.
> 
> Well, I hope you guys like this! I promised a commenter a few weeks ago that I'd have a proposal fic on the way, and though it took a little while to get here (and got strangely emotional in places along the way), I'm glad it's here.

_Days like these lead to_

_Nights like this lead to_

_Love like ours_

_You light the spark in my bonfire heart_

_People like us—we don’t_

_Need that much, just someone that starts_

_Starts the spark in our bonfire hearts_

**- _James Blunt,_** **Bonfire Heart**

Isak and Even have been together for over five years, now. And Isak knows what he wants to ask Even. He’s been certain for ages, maybe since the moment they moved in together back that first spring, even if he hadn't been able to put these feelings into words back then.

But for the actual process of figuring out how to ask the love of Isak's life to marry him, he needs a bit of help.

In order to pull all this off, Isak had enlisted the help of Even's counterparts, who had all jumped at the chance to put their artistic skills to use to make the most beautiful fucking proposal ever. They'd helped with staging and timing and even the speech, each of them asking Isak question after question about timing and special moments and all of that shit.

David had been the one who had gone ring shopping with Isak, his knowledge of jewelry and piercings and everything allowing him to give full advice on certain metals and everything. Eliott had been the one to put things together, to suggest the location of the common room for the big moment. Sander had helped Isak with the details of his speech. Nico had been enlisted to keep Even distracted for the evening with a trip to the movies to see the newest indie flick while Joana had helped set Isak set up shit (there are yellow curtains on the windows of the common room, now, for example) and not freak out or have a panic attack while waiting for Nico and Even to get done and Even to return to the common room to pick up the film equipment that Eliott had "forgotten" yesterday.

And Isak himself? Well, Isak had been the one to make the final decisions on everything, from timing to location to ring. Even though he'd asked for advice and help organizing things, he'd still been the one to make every decision. To pick the silver ring, simple but elegant, that reminded him of Even's glittering eyes and kind smile, to pick the time- 21:21, just like that first kiss- and the date, to pick everything and all of the details.

(When Isak had texted the boy squad the week before the planned proposal to run everything by them, Jonas had just laughed and reassured Isak that whatever he chose in the end, Even would love it because it was him, and Even was in love with everything that Isak did for him. Mahdi had an **of course that giant will love them** , and Magnus had sent a string of those long infamous smiley emojis that they'd told him not to send to Even, that long ago night that he and Even had reconnected on.)

And so tonight, right on time, Even enters the common room, flicking on the lights to find Isak there, on one knee, with a ring box held out in front of him and praying to a non-existent god that his hands wouldn't shake. "Even, the man of my dreams," he starts, but doesn't get any farther before Even's jaw drops and he starts talking, interrupting the beautiful speech that Isak had prepared with the help of all of Even's counterparts.

“You’ve gotta be fucking with me,” comes out of Even’s mouth, belying the blinding smile on his face, and Isak’s not sure how to feel, especially when Even drops his bag on the ground and starts digging around in it, still not answering Isak’s question (and Isak knows that Even is going to say yes but _fuck_ , this is not the way to do it), and digs out-

“You’ve gotta be shitting me,” Isak says, mindlessly repeating Even’s words, and Even laughs as he holds out an open ring box that contains a small gold band that looks nearly exactly the same as the silver one that Isak just proposed with.

“Nope,” Even says, tone full of satisfied mirth and utter joy as Isak stands up on wobbly legs to meet at Even at almost eye level. "The plan for _me_ had been at the pool that Nico and Marti took us all to, but you got there first."

Isak glances at the clock in the corner, which is a few minutes past 21:21 but the point was still made. "I won this time," he says, and he knows that Even knows exactly what Isak means by that, about how he's thinking about the reversal of their first kiss, where Even was the one who made the first move.

"That you did," Even says with the most brilliant of smiles as he pulls the ring out of the box and offers it to Isak. Isak can't deny that his eyes burn just a little with the happiest of tears as Even slides that ring on his finger, quickly followed by Isak doing the same to him. Even's eyes are a bit watery, too, a fact that makes Isak smile.

Isak reaches forward and pulls Even into a kiss, ringed hand going to Even's cheek, and Isak thinks that he's smiling too hard for this to actually work but it does, anyway, because he and Even have years worth of practice of smiling into kisses, of working around the two of them being too happy for lips to actually connect with each others'.

Then the door opens up behind Even, and the rest of their counterparts come spilling in- even the ones that Isak _didn’t_ consult- leading to Isak and Even having to separate mouths.

“Wait a minute,” Isak says, “Did you all know-?"

“Oh, we figured it out,” Lucas says with a smirk, “But we thought it was just too entertaining to pass up the fact that both of you came to us with plans to propose on the _same day,_ at the _same time_.”

“Kind of beautiful, to be honest,” Eliott says, resting his head on top of Lucas’ from behind.

“Though come on,” Cris chimes in, dragging Joana to their usual beanbag, “21:21? Isn’t that a bit cliche?"

"I actually think it's kind of romantic," Robbe says, looking to Sander as they sit down on the couch, and Isak has to wonder which ones of his counterparts had things happen to them at 21:21. He knows that they weren't all born at the same time, but maybe first kisses happened at the same time of day. Maybe other firsts or major events happened at that time for different counterparts, maybe his and Even's timing isn't a them-only event but maybe a time that they share with some of the others.

"Nah, I'd gotta agree with Cris on that one," David says even as he smiles proudly at Isak and Even while Matteo pulls him to the sofa so that they can assume their usual cuddling position, Matteo draped half-across David.

“Alright, you guys can all fuck off,” Isak says even as he grins at them all, this family of idiots that they've assembled in this city that's become their home, these people who are their friends and their mirrors and their family and that as much as they annoy him sometimes he can't imagine having this moment without them.

"Nah," Nico says, smile sweet and fond as he looks at them. "I think we'd rather all enjoy this." He and Martino don't head for the table in the corner, instead standing by the door, but Isak doesn't ping anything strange about that- maybe they just want to stand, instead. Eliott and Lucas aren't sitting down, either, after all, though that fact is not stopping Eliott from draping himself all over Lucas and layering kisses in his hair.

"Imagine the day that all of us get married," Lucas says like it's a given fact that they've all found the loves of their lives, that Isak and Even are just the first in a long line of marriage proposals and weddings. It's not that strange of an idea, though- Isak can easily picture each of these couples married, even Robbe and Sander, so young and so fresh out. It's something that seems natural and _right_ , as much as Even slipping that ring on his finger had been.

"The name combinations are going to be a bit interesting to work out," Robbe says, a teasing smile on his lips as he looks to Sander. "Double barrelling everyone's names. We've almost got it easy compared to some of you all."

“Fuck, hyphenating Cris and Joana's names is going to be _insane_ ,” Sander agrees with a laugh.

“Nah, we’re probably just going to be Soto Bianchi,” Cris says easily, “Or Bianchi Soto."

Joana nods. "Spanish naming customs already kind of lend themselves to this sort of thing, though we’d have to figure out the right order to go with."

"You've got a similar problem, kinda," Lucas points out, waving to Even and Isak, who by now have sat down on their usual sofa. "Even's already got a two-part last name."

"And you've got a boring one part last name," Isak says to Lucas, always ready to exchange verbal parries with his French counterpart. "Makes it easy to hyphenate, just like Robbe and Sander."

“Well, to be honest, I don’t really want to hyphenate,” Matteo says, and they all look to him with raised eyebrows.

“Really?” David asks, a tone of curiosity to his voice, and Matteo nods.

“I kind of just want to become Matteo Schreibner,” Matteo says, voice casual and easy as if this is the most logical thing in the world, and from his position Isak knows he can’t see the way David’s eyebrows shoot into his hairline even as the most brilliant of smiles crosses his lips.

“Really?” David asks again, but this time his voice is soft and almost unbearably fond. “Why?”

“Don’t really want to hang onto the Florenzi name,” Matteo says, “Kind of want to leave it with my Dad in Italy.”

And speaking of Italy...

Huh. Where are Nico and Marti? As David and Matteo keep talking, Isak looks around the room and they’re mysteriously gone from their usual spot in the corner. He looks around, brow furrowing, and he doesn't see them anywhere.

“Hey,” Isak says, leaning into Even, “I’m gonna go find Nico and Marti. You mind?”

Even’s eyes glitter. “Of course not, _fiance_.”

Isak rolls his eyes and leans in a bit to kiss his now-fiance, who reciprocates as happily as usual. He’s got to admit that he loves the title just as much as he loves the ring on his finger. "I should be back with them in a few."

Even's eyes glitter with unspoken laughter. "I'll be waiting in the tower."

Isak smiles at the _Pretty Woman_ reference- all of these years out and that movie, as well as _Romeo + Juliet,_ are still their go-to movies references- before heading out of the common room, leaving the rest of their friends behind to debate last names and marriage ideas.

And so it takes Isak a few minutes, but he finds Nico and Marti out in the courtyard that night, talking quietly and staring up at the stars. Marti's head is against Nico's shoulder, taking physical comfort in a way he rarely does outside of one of their flats. The two of them are talking in their native Italian, the language whispering softly across the courtyard. They're not sad, really, just wistful. A sense of something almost melancholy, but not quite, taints their words.

Marti has a joint between his fingers, but he’s not really smoking it. He doesn’t, really, anymore, not around Nico, but occasionally he’ll take a puff. Right now, though, he isn’t, preferring instead to take comfort in Nico. (A habit Isak himself has developed in recent years as well, when it comes to Even.)

"You guys okay?" Isak asks, and they both glance up at him, Marti peeling himself off of Nico’s shoulder.

"We were just thinking about us. And about Italia." Marti says his home country's name with a wistful tone that almost makes Isak's heart ache, from the way Marti’s voice pulls at the syllables of his country in his native language.

“We didn’t want to put a damper on the celebration,” Nico says, voice soft and a little bit pained, in a way it very rarely gets. Isak assumes that Nico prefers not to be vulnerable like that around anyone except for Marti. “We’re really happy for you guys.”

“It’s fine,” Isak says, sitting down on the step next to Marti and a little bit in front of him, so that he can face both of them. “If there’s something wrong, I want to know about it. I want to listen, however I can.”

Isak knows that he’s not always been the best listener. That there were days, back in gymnasium, when he didn’t pay well enough attention to others and their problems or just tried to physically fight their problems when they did show up. But being with Even- and growing up, to be honest- has taught him a lot about listening, about the importance of just being there for someone else without trying to beat up whatever’s getting them down.

“It’s nothing big,” Nico says, in a tone that speaks to having gone through far worse situations- which Isak knows all too well that he has.

“Then what is it?” Isak asks, tone cajoling. He wants to know, to understand Nico and Marti, his friends.

"Well, Italy is the only country that any of us are from where it's still illegal for us to get married," Marti says, and Isak blinks. That’s...that sucks, in a way that pulls at Isak’s heart, making it ache in a similar way to what it did when they first heard about what had happened to Sander and Robbe on that one horrible night.

Norway passed same-sex marriage all the way back in 2008, the sixth country in the world to do so. Belgium, where they’re living, was the second country in the world to pass same-sex marriage. France and Germany and Spain have all legalized same-sex marriage, as well. But Italy- they haven't.

Isak knows that they can all get married here, but if Nico and Marti got married here, if they went back home, then their government wouldn’t recognize them as husbands. Elia and Filippo, who still live in Italy, can’t get married at all.

Isak swallows. He doesn’t know what that feels like, exactly. He and Even could get married in Norway, if that’s what they wanted. (He’s pretty sure they won’t, that they’ll get married in Antwerp and invite the Bech Naeshims and the boy squad and the girl squad and Eskild and the balloon squad and Isak’s mom down, as well as, of course, the squad here in Antwerp, and maybe some of their counterparts, but the point remains. They can go back to their other home and still be husbands- Nico and Marti can’t.)

“I’m sorry,” Isak says eventually, glancing between the two of them.

“It’s not your fault,” Marti says automatically, like Isak says it automatically, like he knows Lucas and Cris say it automatically, and Isak rolls his eyes.

“I know that,” Isak says, “I just meant that that sucks. A lot. And that I wish it was different, for you guys.” He looks down at the ring on his finger, glimmering slightly in the lights from the window illuminating the courtyard, and for a few moments it's just the three of them, sitting in semi-comfortable silence.

“On the bright side,” Nico says, flashing Isak a smile that’s brighter than the moon above, “We get to go to your wedding. Who’s the best man going to be? Lemme guess- Jonas?”

“How’d you know?” Isak asks with a snort, and Nico glances to Marti, something incomparably fond in his gaze.

“Easy,” Nico says, “Because I know that Gio would be Marti’s.”

For a quick, split-second of a moment, Marti stares at Nico with some indescribably raw emotion bursting across his face. Maybe at the fact that Nico knows such a fact so easily, maybe at the idea of getting married to Nico, maybe at a million small things, Isak can’t be sure. He knows his counterparts well, but he’s not a mind reader. Then his expression softens in a much more easily readable smile. “You’re not wrong,” Marti says, “Just like the Contrabbandieri would be the groomsmen. And who would _your_ best man be?”

“Oh, I’d have all of my counterparts Hunger Games it to figure it out,” Nico jokes, and Isak hadn't been expecting that response- though maybe he should have, if he'd thought it through long enough.

Isak forgets, sometimes, that there aren’t one-to-one parallels to all of them. He knows that his groomsmen(and woman) would include Sana, but that Robbe’s or Marti’s might not, as they’re not as close to their Sana’s as the rest of them. David’s wouldn’t include his Mikael, or the balloon squad, unlike Even’s probably will, because David never had that backstory with them. Same thing with Joana or Sander. 

Eliott will have his Elias in Idriss, have his own Yousef in Sofiane, but won't have a balloon squad or a Mikael because Eliott's never had either of those. Sander’s wedding party, some day down the line, would probably include Zoe and Senne and Milan, most likely. Cris’ would be the girl squad rather than the boy squad, with Amira as her maid of honor.

And Nico's, as he's just joked- well, Isak knows that the Contrabbandieri are as much Nico's friends as they are Marti's. Most likely there won't be a split between their wedding party, no set of groomsmen specifically for Nico or Marti or vice versa, other than their best men. Luca and Elia are Nico and Marti's closest friends equally, in a way that Isak can really only point out is the same for David, despite the fact of how close the boy squads are to Even's other counterparts, how much he knows his own friends love Even as one of their own.

"I'm sure that you could probably narrow it down real quick," Marti says with a small smile, and Nico arches an eyebrow.

"How would you suggest I do that?"

But Marti's response is preempted by the door opening up, and Isak looks up to find his fiance- his _fiance_ , how fucking lucky is he to finally be able to call the man of his dreams his fiance- stepping outside, a fond smile on his lips as he walks forward to sit in front of Nico and across from Isak, their shoes brushing against each other. "How's everything out here?" he asks with that smile of his, the one that speaks to him knowing a bit of what's going on but still wanting to hear it from them.

"Pretty good, actually," Marti says with a smile as he looks down at Even.

"Congrats on your engagement, by the way," Nico says, and his quiet smile transforms into a grin as Even offers up a hand to fist bump and Nico gladly takes him up on the offer.

"Sorry we didn't end up getting to use the pool," Even says with an easy smile, looking between Nico and Marti, and Marti smirks, exchanging a look with Nico.

"I'm sure that Meneer Bauwens wouldn't mind us still using it for the night you asked for," Nico says. "It just won't be only you and Isak."

"Another pool party?" Isak asks, "I could get behind that." He looks to Even. "What do you say, Future Mr. Bech Naeshim-Valtersen?"

Even's face lights up at the last names, lips illuminating into a smile that Isak's pretty sure is reflected on his own lips. "Sounds like a good idea to me, Future Mr. Bech Naeshim-Valtersen."

"Are you two planning on being this sappy all the time?" Marti asks with a half-smirk, and Isak rolls his eyes.

"You're one to talk, Mr. _Nico did that thing with the red strings, signore, have I ever told you the story about how my boyfriend wooed me with giraffes and flipbooks and_ -"

Marti smirks, all traces of earlier melancholy gone. "Oh, really, Signore _Even sang Gabrielle to me and made me eggs and even though I called it a hashtag I secretly loved it more than anything-"_

"Wait a moment," Nico says, turning to Marti with an amused smile on his lips. " _We_ sang Buon Viaggio that morning in Bracciano after reconnecting."

"And _I_ sent you cartoons," Even says to Isak with a raised eyebrow and a similarly amused smile.

"Called out," comes a familiar voice, clearly pleased, and all four of them look up to the doorway, where they find the other eight counterparts standing there with fond smiles on their face. The voice, of course, was Lucas, who looks too pleased for a man that they all know has bragged about Eliott for plenty of the same reasons that they've just detailed to each other.

"When four of us go missing, it's kinda easy to notice," Cris says as the eight of them all filter out the door and onto the steps and into the courtyard, situating themselves on benches and cobblestones and the steps around Nico, Marti, Isak, and Even.

"You guys all good?" Matteo continues, and Marti and Isak exchange a look before Marti looks back to his boyfriend.

"Si," Nico says, "We're all good."

Marti nods, smiling at Nico. "Never been better, in fact." He turns and smiles at Isak and Even. "Haven't you guys heard? The biggest idiots in Norway are getting married."

And looking out at all of them, these twelve people gathered in the courtyard together, the love of Isak's life in front of him and one of his found families around him, Isak can't help but agree with his counterpart- things really have never been better.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! Please feel free to leave a comment if you enjoyed- comments are the lifeblood of the writer, after all, and often give me the motivation and inspiration to keep writing!


End file.
